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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;robinjojo, post: 6274095, member: 110226&quot;]I try to avoid using superlatives such as masterpiece.&nbsp; It is both subjective and definitive, something, being a relativist, kind of goes against my grain.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now, having said that, there are certainly coins of merit, of great merit even.&nbsp; There are certain coins that exude a quality of art, in all of its manifest forms, that make them stand out.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are four from my collection.&nbsp; I could list more, but I wanted to make a distillation using these examples.</p><p><br /></p><p>1)&nbsp; Syracuse</p><p><br /></p><p>What is it about Syracuse?&nbsp; While it is a major city/state in ancient times, it produced coinage in all metals noted for its beauty in design, and in most cases, execution, as exemplified by my tetradrachm of Agathokles.&nbsp; Other cities in Sicily beautiful coinage as well, while other Greek cities stuck to rather monotonous coinage, such as Athens, Thebes and Corinth, primarily for economic reasons, no doubt.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248447[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>2)&nbsp; Paeonia</p><p><br /></p><p>During the late 4th century BC, Paeonia, under Audoleon, produced tetradrachms depicting Athena in a three-quarter pose.&nbsp; The skill needed to successfully produce a die of this nature is considerable.&nbsp; This type of portrait is much more difficult to create than a simple profile portrait.&nbsp; While this coin is not in the same league as the magnificent facing portrait coins of Syracuse and Rhodes, it is nonetheless quite remarkable, especially the obverse. This example from my collection (sorry for the blurry obverse) is nicely engraved, with a pointed nose (not a flat &quot;boxer&quot; nose), good orientation of the eyes and good centering.&nbsp; The reverse is also well centered and of good artistic quality. </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248454[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>3)&nbsp; The coinage of Alexander III</p><p><br /></p><p>Without a doubt, in my mind, the vast coinage produced by Alexander III and his successors, including the posthumous coinage, has some of the best engraving, setting the stage for the beautiful Hellenistic periood coinage to follow.&nbsp; The quality of the workmanship of Alexander&#039;s coinage varies considerably.&nbsp; This is my tetradrachm from Cilicia, possibly Side, either a late lifetime or early posthumous coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248456[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>4)&nbsp; The Eastern Celts</p><p><br /></p><p>The quality of this coinage varies widely, both in the quality (or lack thereof) of the dies, the quality of the metal, and the quality of the strike.&nbsp; This is my Doppelkopf type, with the Janiform head of Zeus on the obverse.&nbsp; These coins do come up for sale or in auctions from time to time, but they do very in the quality of dies, as well as strike.&nbsp; This coin as a pleasing style to it, with one side of Zeus seeming to peer, somewhat ruefully, back at his other face, perhaps his better side?&nbsp; The reverse, while off center, has the quintessential Celtic horse and a very abstract rider.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1248457[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>So, are these coins masterpieces?&nbsp; That is for the viewer to decide.&nbsp; I love each coin for what it is, and what it has to offer and say about its time in history.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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